Shopping and services

Shopping is an activity that is enjoyed by many people. There are also people who hate shopping and say that it is a waste of time. But whether the people like shopping or not, they have to go to a shop, more or less frequently, to buy what they need because shopping is a necessity.

TWO MAIN TYPES OF SHOPS

Individual shops sell goods that are available in larger stores, but often pride themselves on the quality of their goods and service. They are: clothes shop, cake shops, butchers, bakery, gift shops, shoe shops, newsagents, antique shops, chemist shops, pet shop, greengrocers, china shop, jeweler's, bookshops.

Hypermarket is the largest type of shop and usually situated outside a town, where there is space for a large car park. Supermarket does save a lot of time. There is so many products under one roof. Sometimes supermarkets are more cheaper than smaller shops. In many supermarkets have their own brands of the most common food products which are cheaper still. Some supermarkets have started to offer free gifts to customers who have spent lots of money in their shops. Supermarkets are popular. They sell not only foods but household goods and some sell goods as diverse as cameras, guns and ammunition.


KINDS OF SHOPS

At the grocer's people can buy foodstuff including flour, sugar, salt, eggs, vegetable oil, stewed fruit, various kinds of tea and coffe, bottled beer and juice, sweets, chocolate, frozen and tinned vegetables and fruit. There are also dairy products such as milk, butter, cream, cheese and yogurt.

At the baker's various kinds of fresh bread, rolls, buns and cakes can be bought.

The butcher sells meat including pork, beef, lamb or poultry. Here we can buy smoked meat products such as ham, bacon, sausages and frankfurters. At the butcher's people can also buy tinned and frozen meat and fish.

They can go to the ironmonger's to buy hammer, pliers, nails and other tools and materials.

At the stationer's writing paper, wrapping paper, envelopes, notebooks, pens, pencils, rubber, ruler are kept. All the things needed by school children can be bought here.

Fresh vegetables and all kinds of fruit can be bought at the greengrocer's and fruiterer's. Many people prefer shopping at the market where there is a wider choice of potatoes, cabbages, beans, carrots, tomatoes, apples, pears, oranges or bananas.

The chemist's is a specialized shop where people can buy medicines. In Britain the chemist also keeps cosmetics and toilet supplies such as make-ups, shaving-cream, shampoo, soap and tooth-brushes.

Boutiques sell the latest fashion. Here especially the young people have a wide choice of dresses, shirts, skirts, blouses, pullovers and jeans. Some of the boutiques also offer leather goods such as jackets, shoes, bags.

Some other shops we visit:
- the florist’s – flowers, wreaths, bouquets, plants
- the tailor’s – where we have our clothes made to measure
- the hatter’s – where men’s hats are sold
- the milliner’s – where woman’s hats are made
- the shoe-maker’s – where we buy shoes, boots and other foot-wear
- the watch maker’s – where clocks and watches are mended
- the jeweller’s – where jewellery is sold as well as silver and gold

Services
It is a system that provide something that the public needs. It`s organized by the government or privat company.

We know many types of services:
Post office is a national organization in many countries, that is responsible for colecting and delivering letters, post cards, ...
Bank is an organization, that provides various financial services, keeping or lending money, we can put our money into a bank account. Each bank has also a cash dispensor. And we can withdrow our money any time we want.
Police is an official organization, who`s job is to make people obey the law and to prevent and solve the crime.
Petrol station is a place at the side of the road where you take your car to buy petrol, gas, oil.
Some other services:
-Dry-cleaning
-Shoes repairs
-Photo coppie
-Baby-sitting
-Gardeners
-Window cleaners
-Electricians
-Hairdresser

Repairman, also called „odd job men“, electricians, gardeners, window cleaners, painters and decorators, plumbers, domestic cleaners (called „daily helps“) and child-minders (women who look after children during the day while the parents are at work) also often advertise their services in this way. Services are also advertised in the „classified ads“ section of local newspapers.
Many services can be ordered by telephone and a special telephone directory, the „Yellow Pages“; lists firms according to the services they provide. You can order a cooked meal to be delivered from a Chinese restaurant or a pizza restaurant. If you want to send a present to someone, you can arrange for chocolates, flowers, etc. to be delivered. Many of these delivery services use motorcycles.

Shops and offices in town centers provide services such as dry cleaning, shoe repairs, photocopying and the use of fax machines. In launderettes you can wash and dry clothes in coin-operated machines. The are estate agencies for buying and selling houses, letting agencies for finding rented accommodation and employment agencies for finding a job. Some employment agencies specialize in a particular kind of job, for example secretarial jobs.

ADVERTISEMENT

All kinds of advertisement (street billboards, catchy jingles on tv and radio, pictures in magazines and newspapers,..) try to attract our attention and introduce new products and ideas. Advertisers make us believe we can realise our ambitions quickly and easily, only if we will use (of course, it means buy) their product. So, advertisers want us to spend money on their products.
But there are also advantages. Advertising is informative, increases demand, stimulates industry and keeps prices down.

When advertisers want to create successful advertisement, they use methods that help to sell new products:
-famous or well-known people promote certain products by saying that they use these products.
-average people in everyday situations are often shown using a certain product.
-advertising says that everybody buys a certain product.
-Advertising shows a very special idea, feeling, person or situation. It can transfer your good feelings to the product.
“Jingles” are tunes created for commercials that stick in your ear and you hum the melody over and over, hopefully “hypnotizing” you into buying the products.

AN IDEAL SHOP ASSISTANT

Wherever the customers enter they are welcomed by shop assistants who are ready to help them. Unfortunately, this is not true in every one shop, altough there are two famous sayings: “The customer is always right“ and “The customer is king“.
I have a lot of experiences with shop assistants. Some of them are good but I had already met with shop assistants who were unwilling and inconvenient, and when I wanted to pay for the goods they scowled at me. I don´t like to be watched when I am looking around in shops. Some shop assistants follow you on every your step, because they think you want to steal something. I hate that!!! In my opinion it is the mistake, because they can lose a customer this way. And all of us know that the store can´t continue with working without it´s customers! Maybe unkind shop assistants are the reason why I like to do my shoppings in large department stores with self-service…


OTHER FORMS OF PAYING

When you want to pay for a goods which you buy, you can pay in cash, or there is a possibility to use a credit card. Some kinds of shops offers an installment credit, it is used when you buy something which is really expensive. At buying a new car there is possibility of leasing. Nowadays people don´t have to go out of their houses when they need to do the shoppings. I am sure every one of you had ever got a catalogue which offered goods, for example clothes, office aids, and so on. There are also catalogues offering cosmetics, like ORIFLAME or AVON. Personally I like to buy cosmetics from catalogues, and whenever I have some pocket money, the cosmetics is one of the things I buy.

The internet offers us a possibility of shopping, too. It is enough when you click on a mouse, then put on a number of your account and the goods will be delivered right on your address in a few days.